Power and Privilege Homogeneous Choice - Essay Example

Additionally, we all have a natural desire to preserve those parts of us that are unique or particularly cherished, and pass them on to our progeny. While racism and prejudice are always an unacceptable approach to our differences, there should also be an allowance for individuals to interact positively with one another while preserving their own culture, traditions, and values. I believe that it is possible to truly respect the differences between individuals and cultures, while retaining the natural comfort level found in individual association with those of similar background and world view.

I call this homogeneous choice. As an individual, I am naturally aware of the differences between myself and others. Whether those variations are cultural or behavioral, I know that I can face a personal dilemma as I react to those differences; I can choose to accept them or oppose them in some way. In his article on the subject of diversity, David Brooks points out that it is in my nature to be around others like myself, and that I have the power to organize my life so that my contact with people radically different from me is limited (Brooks 31).

That does not make me, however, an opponent of integration or a racist; it doesn't even mean that my personal choices are necessarily intentional. Things like personal comfort tend to occur absent specific and directed analysis, and my respectful reaction to others of different cultures can similarly be natural and uncomplicated. If I like a particular individual, regardless of cultural background, I simply like them. I don't sit around trying to analyze why I like them or what it is about them that makes them likeable; I just know that I am comfortable with them.

Similarly, there are people for whom I don't especially care and that discomfort has nothing to do with race, creed, color, or any of the other common prejudicial points of view. I can respect the individual, even though I am not comfortable being around them every day, without being driven by prejudice against their culture; and that is the point. The nexus of these ideas can be articulated one word: Respect. If my responses to the differences in people I meet, and their unique way of perceiving the world, are respectful of their point of view, I can avoid a negative perspective that includes prejudice or racism.

Different isn't bad, it is just different. Neither do I have to embrace all of the differences I encounter, or even like them, and include them in my choices for frequent association. I can respect my own perspective as a valid point of view, and extend that same consideration to the people I meet. The guiding principle for me, as for most other people, is personal comfort. I am naturally more comfortable with certain cultures than others, especially my own. As Brooks points out, people are "finding places where [they] are comfortable and where [they] feel [they] can flourish" (30).

While he goes on to lament the lack of diversity in American culture, I don't think that it is appropriate to force people out of their personal comfort zones to accomplish a specific diversity goal. In America, the freedom of association is a constitutional right, and for good reason. Individual freedom is about flourishing within a chosen environment and I should be allowed to make those choices that promote my